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Dahlerus Courtman, a 25-year-old teacher was last Friday remanded to prison after he was charged for sexually assaulting a female student.

Courtman, a resident of Three Miles Potaro Road, Bartica appeared before Magistrate Teriq Mohammed at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.

He was charged with the offence of “sexual activity with a child by abusing a position of trust.”

Courtman was not required to plead to the charge. He was remanded to prison until March 7.

Police said the charge was laid after Courtman after he was arrested on February 5 by ranks of the Bartica Police station.

The post Teacher charged for sexual assault appeared first on News Room Guyana.

Guyana has announced its training squad for the 2025 Caribbean Boxing Championships, set to take place in St. Lucia from February 27  to March 3.  The tournament returns after a break since 2019.

Among the boxers vying for a place on the team are Olympian Keevin Allicock, who won gold at the 2017, 2018, and 2019 championships, and Desmond Amsterdam, who won bronze at the 2022 South American Games.

Allicock, a featherweight, will look to continue his winning streak at the tournament. Middleweight Amsterdam, who is also a featherweight, brings international experience to the squad.

The training group also includes Leon Albert, Septon Barton, Quince Boyce, Clifton Graham, Travis Inveraray, Shaquain James, Dwayne July, Colin Lewis, Orlando Norton, Emma Noel Pompey, Ronaldo Sutton, Zidan Wray, Joel Williamson, and Abiola Jackman.  Keyon Britton, Lennox Lawrence, Ken Harvey, and Tofina Barker have also been invited to train.

The boxers will be coached by a team including Cuban coach Francisco Roldan, national coach Lennox Daniels, Clifton Moore and Jeff Roberts.

Guyana last won the overall championship in 2018, when they hosted the event.

GBA President Steve Ninvalle said he was excited about the tournament’s return and confident that Guyana would select a strong team.

“We are thrilled to see the Caribbean Boxing Championships return after a long hiatus,” he said. “This tournament has always been a crucial platform for our boxers to showcase their talent on the regional stage.

I am confident that the best possible team will be selected, and we are focused on reclaiming our title as the Caribbean’s best.”

The final team will be selected after a period of training.

The post Guyana names boxing squad hopefuls for 2025 Caribbean Championships appeared first on News Room Guyana.

ENet has announced its support for the Mashramani Street Football Championships, which reaches its climax this Saturday with the semi-finals and final at the National Park.

The two-week tournament has featured 32 teams from communities across Guyana.

Organisers, Sports Management Inc., praised E-Net’s continued backing, emphasising the importance of grassroots sports for talent identification and development.

“We applaud E-Net for getting involved at this level,” they said in a statement, adding, “It shows that the company is committed to the development of sports at all levels.”

The championships have showcased “jaw-dropping” football skills and talent, culminating in Saturday’s final four matches.

The winning team will receive $500,000, with prizes also awarded for second, third and fourth place.

Individual awards include a trophy and $50,000 for the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

A Plate Playoffs competition, featuring losing quarter-finalists and top teams from the Super-16 round, will also take place, with a total prize purse of $100,000 and Magnum Tonic Wine for the top three teams.

The post ENet backs Mashramani Street Football Championship appeared first on News Room Guyana.

As the government prepares to roll out a programme to safeguard the most vulnerable, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony has announced that the first batch of influenza vaccines is scheduled to arrive in the country soon.

These vaccines will be administered to healthcare workers and the elderly, who are at greater risk during the flu season.

“We have already started the process, and very soon we will have about 12,000 doses of these vaccines arriving in the country. We will then commence rolling out this programme,” Dr Anthony said on Monday.

He was speaking at a two-day workshop organised by the Ministry of Health, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), and the International Health Regulations National Focal Point Committee to develop Guyana’s 2024 State Party Self-Assessment Annual Report (SPAR).

Ministry of Health to begin offering flu vaccine to elderly, healthcare workers

Dr Anthony first mentioned this initiative to vaccinate against the flu last Wednesday during the consideration of the ministry’s budget.

For many years, these vaccines were unavailable in the public healthcare system, forcing individuals to seek them overseas.

According to Dr Anthony, investments made over the years have strengthened the country’s surveillance capacity.

In January this year, the Ministry of Health announced that the National Public Health Reference Laboratory had officially received accreditation from PAHO/WHO as a National Influenza Centre.

Now, Dr Anthony said the focus is on implementing an integrated surveillance system that utilises the existing telemedicine infrastructure at healthcare facilities.

“We want to use the existing telemedicine infrastructure, where we have internet connectivity, at these 84 sites to enhance our surveillance efforts,” he said.

In preparation for future pandemics, Dr Anthony stated that the ministry is working to develop a robust surveillance system that will monitor both human and animal health.

“We know, of course, that if we are to be ready for the next pandemic, there is a strong likelihood that a virus could jump from animals to the human population.

“That is why it is important to have this integrated surveillance system,” Dr Anthony said.

The post First 12,000 flu vaccines to arrive soon – Dr Anthony appeared first on News Room Guyana.

Police on Monday confirmed that they are currently pursuing a man who brutally beat and injured the father of his ex-girlfriend after she parted ways with him.

In a statement, Police Headquarters said they are investigating the incident which occurred around 19:00 hrs on February 09, 2025 at Better Hope South, East Coast Demerara.

The suspect, Jamal Paddy, continues to evade law enforcement officials.

Sixty-six-year-old Eustace Sutherland is currently hospitalised with multiple wounds to his head which were inflicted during the attack.

Woman’s ex-boyfriend brutally chops relative in attempt to continue relationship

According to the Police, investigations revealed that the suspect shared a relationship with Sutherland’s step daughter, Simmone Williams, who currently resides overseas.

However, the relationship ended.

Police explained that on the day in question, the suspect visited Sutherland’s house and threatened him before leaving.

He later returned and struck Sutherland to his head with an object, causing him to lose consciousness.

Neighbours were alerted and they assisted in ensuring Sutherland received medical attention.

In an interview with the News Room, Williams related that she ended the relationship with the suspect seven months ago.

She said despite reaching out to Paddy’s family to get him help, the threats continued.

The post Police looking for abusive ex who beat, injured former partner’s father appeared first on News Room Guyana.

A 49-year-old doctor was slapped and robbed of her cellphone while seated in the compound of the doctor’s living quarters on Lamaha Street, Georgetown.

The incident occurred at about 08:30 hrs on Sunday.

Police Headquarters in a statement, said the doctor, attached to the Ministry of Health, was on her phone, sitting on a flowerpot in the compound, when the suspect entered the yard.

The suspect approached the doctor, dealt her several slaps across her face, and relieved her of the cell phone valued $25,000. He then escaped west on Lamaha Street.

Police said several persons in the area were contacted and interviewed as the investigation continues.

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The post New CDB President visiting Guyana this week  appeared first on News Room Guyana.

See below the full statement from Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation: 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation wishes to refer to the presentation of a map at a recently held International Business Conference in Paramaribo, Suriname, that inaccurately included the New River Triangle as part of the Republic of Suriname. The map was included in a publication that was distributed by the Surinamese hosts to attendees at the Conference.

The Ministry wishes to state that the presence of representatives of the Government of Guyana at the Conference in no way signifies the condoning by the Government of Guyana of the use of a map that incorrectly represents the territory of Guyana. The Government of Guyana was not consulted about the map prior to its distribution. Had it been consulted, it would have strongly objected.

For the record, the internationally recognized map of Guyana confirms that the New River Triangle is part of the sovereign territory of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. This Status is based on a binding legal process and international agreements, between and among the Governments of Brazil, Great Britain and The Netherlands in 1936.

The boundary between Guyana and Suriname was determined in 1936 when a joint British-Dutch-Brazilian Boundary Commission identified the source of the Kutari River, on the watershed with Brazil, as the tri-junction point where the boundaries of Brazil, British Guiana and Suriname meet.

A monument exists marking the tri-junction point, the southermost point of the boundary between Guyana and Suriname. The agreement fixing the tri-junction point was signed by the three Heads of the Mixed Commission (one from each State). It describes the boundary as follows:

The Mixed Commission, being satisfied that this is the only river which in any way answers to the Schomburgk description of the Kutari agreed that the boundary between Surinam and British Guiana, as defined in the instructions issued to the Mixed Commission, should follow the left bank of its longest branch.

This placed the territory that later came to be called the “New River Triangle” firmly on Guyana’s side of the international boundary. Guyana has always respected the agreed boundary, and has exercised sovereignty and enjoyed continuous occupation of the territory on its side, including the New River Triangle.

The boundary agreed in 1936 is the internationally recognized boundary between Guyana and Suriname. Any depiction suggesting otherwise is inaccurate and does not reflect the legally established boundary.

The Government of Guyana remains committed to fostering strong and cooperative relations with the Republic of Suriname, guided by principles of mutual respect and international law, and will continue to advance discussions through the mechanism established to address outstanding issues on the border between the two countries.

The post New River Triangle included in internationally-recognised map of Guyana- Foreign Affairs appeared first on News Room Guyana.

Guyana’s new passport, which will be valid for 10 years began rolling out on Monday, February 10, 2025.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, in an advisory, revealed that the new passport features enhanced security measures and design elements aimed at improving both identity protection and the travel experience for Guyanese.

The advanced security features include an embedded electronic chip.

Applicants will now have the option to choose between a five-year or ten-year validity period. The cost for the five-year validity remains at G$6,000, while the cost for the ten-year validity is G$12,000 for an ordinary passport.

This upgrade aligns Guyana with international standards for secure travel documents, ensuring smoother border crossings and enhanced authentication.

A key element of the new passport system is the introduction of enhanced data collection. All applicants will be required to undergo biometric enrollment, including fingerprinting, to further enhance document security.
It is important to note that individuals who applied for a passport on or before Friday, February 7, 2025, will receive the previous version. However, all applications submitted from February 10 onward will receive the new passport.

Additionally, the design of the new passport embraces the One Guyana theme, reflecting the nation’s unity and cultural diversity.

This is in keeping with the government’s digital transformation agenda.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to introduce an online application system.
While applicants are currently required to submit manual applications at passport offices countrywide, the integration of an online platform will allow citizens to apply remotely, streamlining the process and reducing wait times.

As part of efforts to prevent any abuse of the system, the process of replacing lost or damaged passports is currently under review. While the existing policy remains in effect, future adjustments may include extended waiting periods for replacement documents to deter and investigate possible fraudulent claims.

The Central Immigration and Passport Office urges citizens to stay informed and exercise patience during this transition. Further updates, including the activation of the online application platform, will be shared in due course.

The post Rollout of new 10-year passport starts appeared first on News Room Guyana.